


Platonic

by everlarkedandalways



Category: The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-25
Updated: 2016-05-25
Packaged: 2018-06-10 14:43:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6961150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everlarkedandalways/pseuds/everlarkedandalways
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Katniss and Peeta Christmas shop as friends and leave changed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Platonic

Spending a Friday night in a busy mall the weekend before Christmas would never be my first choice. But I promised Katniss I’d take her to get Prim’s present before the sale ended at Macy’s.

I actually don’t mind the extra people, the waiting in line and copious amounts of holiday cheer. I love it, in fact. That’s part of the reason Kat asks me along with her. She knows that I help her from getting overwhelmed with the extra busyness.

We’ve been best friends for three years now, nearly spending all our time together. If I’m not working at the bakery or at practice and she’s not working at the community center, we’re either together, skyping or texting. We have our schedule coordinated so that we can spend breaks between class together.

Everyone thinks we’re dating, but we’re not. We’re just really good friends. We’ve always loved the fact that our friendship isn’t like others’ and that we don’t fit a mold. We both believe that a guy and a girl can be close and keep it platonic, and that’s what makes us work.

We make our way to Starbucks without even discussing it since we both know Christmas means our obligatory peppermint mochas in red cups. With hot beverages in hand, we start the walk to the heart of the mall where the department stores are located.

“I love this time of year,” I say watching a little girl in a red plaid dress taking photos with Santa.

“I know you do. It’s probably the only reason I love this time of year. You turn into a five-year-old about to see Santa,” she says, raising an eyebrow at me with a smile.

“Yeah. I do love Santa’s lap. I can’t help it. It’s just so warm and squishy.” Katniss laughs loudly, garnering looks, as we step into the store and make our way to the perfume counter. I love making her laugh. It’s my daily goal.

There’s a short line of people needing help. So I wander off to the men’s cologne while she finishes purchasing the perfume set for Prim. I’m sniffing the coffee beans they place on the counter to “cleanse your palate” when I get startled by a tap on the shoulder, nearly knocking them over.

“Shit. You scared me.”

“Smell me.” Katniss stretches her neck to the side, brushing her hair out of the way.

I swallow hard. “What?”

“Smell the perfume I got for Prim,” she says with an incredulous look on her face.

“You want me to smell you?” She nods in response. We’ve never been touchy-feely. Maybe we punch each other here and there, link arms, bump hips…never my face in her neck.

“Ummm…okay.” I take a step closer to her and try to keep my eyes from wandering down the v-neck sweater she’s wearing, focusing on her neck instead. My nose bumps her throat as I breathe her in. She smells of grapefruit and vanilla and something else…something Katniss.

In this moment, I recognize how beautiful my best friend is. How her skin feels against my nose. How I know I can’t look at her the same way again. I pull back and barely graze my lips against her throat, causing a breath to escape her.

It’s a tiny moment, but it’s enough to change us.

Her grey eyes meet mine and she smiles. I smile back thinking all I want is my lips on her neck, to cause her to make that noise again. I take the bag with Prim’s gift from her and replace it with my hand, lacing our fingers together.

It feels right. She squeezes my hand and pulls me out into the mall. “Let’s go see the big Christmas tree.”

We find a spot to put our things down right by the tree and stand around with the other admirers whose faces are also lit up by the twinkling lights.

I’m watching her take everything in and realize I haven’t said anything to her about the perfume. So in the midst of the Christmas decorations, the people and the lights, I lean in close to her, placing my lips against her ear. “You smell amazing.”

She rolls her eyes at me, but doesn’t pull away. Instead she turns to face me and quietly says, “Can I smell you?”

I laugh at her silly request, trying not to show the nervousness I feel. “Sure.”

The air feels electric around us as Katniss leans into me. Her hair tickling my nose, her body so close to mine. I feel her nose press against my neck as she inhales, her hands coming to rest on my chest. Without a thought, my arms pull her in closer and she melts into me.

I don’t want to let go.

Her body sighs as she closes any distance between us. Her breaths are hot and shaky as her lips brush softly against my neck, to my jaw, to my ear. “I’ve always wanted it to be you. I’ve always wanted this with you,” she confesses.

Her confession, her breath, her body against mine–it overwhelms me and I’m speechless for the first time ever. Katniss’s body tenses in my arms and I feel her start to pull away at my lack of response, but I don’t let go.

Instead I tilt her chin up so her eyes meet mine. We’ve said these words to each other a million times, but not like this…never like this. “I love you.”

I feel the gasp in her body as I lean in to kiss her, pressing my lips purposefully to hers. My hand slides to grip her face and the other to her lower back pulling her closer to me, squeezing any sliver of space away. Her hands wrap around my neck and into my hair, causing a groan to escape from me.

Our lips move against one another’s slowly, deliberately. I open my mouth to lick the corner of her mouth to taste her lips. They’re soft and pepperminty. Her lips part to taste mine and our tongues meet, teasing and wet. Her noises and sighs spurring me on.

It isn’t until I hear a “daaaammmnn” off to to side, that I realize where we are. We both start laughing mid-kiss. I pull her into an embrace and kiss her forehead. She mumbles something into my chest.

“What? I didn’t hear you,“ I whisper.

She looks up at me, the lights from the tree reflecting off her face, her lips swollen from kissing–she looks the most beautiful I have ever seen her. “I love you, too.”

We may have been wrong about the whole platonic thing.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I love hearing your thoughts and comments. Check out my blog everlarkedalways.tumblr.com where we always talk everlark all day long.


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